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Accessibility Services

Rockingham Community College is committed to full compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The college works to ensure that the programs, activities and facilities of the college are fully accessible to all qualified persons. Students with disabilities, that require support, should contact the Accessibility Counselor, located in the Whitcomb Student Center. The student must self-disclose their disability and request accommodations. It is also the student’s responsibility to provide the college with required documentation that supports their request. Appropriate documentation will reflect the student’s current disability status, functional limitations, and how that disability affects participation in courses, programs, services, and activities. All shared information is held with the utmost confidentiality. Additionally, details may be accessed on the RCC website on the Accessibility Services webpage.

Service Animals on Campus

Service Animals will be permitted to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of RCC’s facilities, where students, members of the public, and other participants in services, programs or activities are allowed to go. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, RCC does not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a Service Animal. Students, program participants, or members of the general public accompanied by a Service Animal on campus but who do not need any disability-related accommodations are not required to register the animal. However, individuals are highly encouraged to let Accessibility Services Office know they are planning to use a Service Animal to help the College address any logistical issues with the animal’s presence, such as access to restricted areas and ensuring appropriate space for the animal. Employees needing to bring a Service Animal must request its use as a reasonable accommodation through EOC.

The college will not ask about the nature or extent of a person’s disability to determine whether a person’s animal qualifies as a Service Animal. However, when it is not readily apparent that an animal is a Service Animal, RCC staff may make two inquiries to determine whether the animal qualifies as a Service Animal, which are:

  1. Is the animal required because of a disability?
  2. What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?

A Service Animal must be housebroken (i.e., trained so that it controls its waste elimination, absent of illness or accident) and must be kept under control by a harness, leash, or other tether, unless the person is unable to hold those, or such use would interfere with the Service Animal’s performance of work or tasks. In such instances, the Service Animal must be kept under control by voice, signals, or other effective means.